Title: Eurocult star Mel Ferrer passes away
Michael Blanton - June 3, 2008 11:48 PM (GMT)
Eurocult star Mel Ferrer passed away yesterday, June 2, 2008, at his ranch in Santa Barbara, California. He was 90
Eurocult fans enjoyed Ferrer in NIGHTMARE CITY, THE ANTICHRIST, SUSPECTED DEATH OF A MINOR, CHOPPER SQUAD aka SILENT ACTION, THE PYJAMA GIRL CASE, BIG ALLIGATOR RIVER, THE HANDS OF ORLAC, BLOOD AND ROSES and other films.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/obit_ferrer;_yl...FvC62s1PAWs0NUE
Eurocult fans enjoyed Ferrer in NIGHTMARE CITY, THE ANTICHRIST, SUSPECTED DEATH OF A MINOR, CHOPPER SQUAD aka SILENT ACTION, THE PYJAMA GIRL CASE, BIG ALLIGATOR RIVER, THE HANDS OF ORLAC, BLOOD AND ROSES and other films.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/obit_ferrer;_yl...FvC62s1PAWs0NUE
Mark Tinta - June 4, 2008 12:25 AM (GMT)
Sad news. We mustn't forget THE VISITOR and the fact that he holds the distinction of co-starring in two different films called EATEN ALIVE.
He was all over the map in his career--over the course of 1980-1981, he somehow worked for both Umberto Lenzi in the sublimely ludicrous NIGHTMARE CITY and the vile EATEN ALIVE/MANGIATI VIVI and for Rainer Werner Fassbinder in LILI MARLEEN. So many credits, ranging from the classiest of the arthouse to the bottom levels of the grindhouse. I'll bet he had some stories he could tell.
On the commentary for the Dark Sky release of Tobe Hooper's EATEN ALIVE, producer Mardi Rustam has nothing but praise for Ferrer, calling him a professional who showed up ready to work, knew his lines, gave it his all, and never once behaved as if the project was beneath him. Ferrer was in a lot films that were most definitely beneath him, but he always added a degree of respectability...even to something like Lenzi's EATEN ALIVE.
RIP, Mr. Ferrer.
He was all over the map in his career--over the course of 1980-1981, he somehow worked for both Umberto Lenzi in the sublimely ludicrous NIGHTMARE CITY and the vile EATEN ALIVE/MANGIATI VIVI and for Rainer Werner Fassbinder in LILI MARLEEN. So many credits, ranging from the classiest of the arthouse to the bottom levels of the grindhouse. I'll bet he had some stories he could tell.
On the commentary for the Dark Sky release of Tobe Hooper's EATEN ALIVE, producer Mardi Rustam has nothing but praise for Ferrer, calling him a professional who showed up ready to work, knew his lines, gave it his all, and never once behaved as if the project was beneath him. Ferrer was in a lot films that were most definitely beneath him, but he always added a degree of respectability...even to something like Lenzi's EATEN ALIVE.
RIP, Mr. Ferrer.
James Cheney - June 4, 2008 01:32 AM (GMT)
His euro-career went all the way back to at least 1953, when he starred in Mario Monicelli's Proibito. An early highlight is the Rome-filmed Ponti-De Laurentiis 1956 mega-spectacular War and Peace (a huge commercial success in Europe, number one film of its year), where he appeared with his real life bride Audrey Hepburn, the two of them playing a fairytale prince and princess-type combo. (I'll confess I was more interested in Anita Ekberg as an aristocrat with a plunging neckline, however).
Just as a performance, his El Greco in the Luciano Salce film of the same name, is a special favorite, and I enjoy the company he keeps there with stars like Adolfo Celi and Rossana Schiaffino (not to mention Ángel Aranda of Terrore nello spazio as Don Luis)
He also made great American cult films like The World, the Flesh and the Devil, but they're a subject for one of the other forums here.
Just as a performance, his El Greco in the Luciano Salce film of the same name, is a special favorite, and I enjoy the company he keeps there with stars like Adolfo Celi and Rossana Schiaffino (not to mention Ángel Aranda of Terrore nello spazio as Don Luis)
He also made great American cult films like The World, the Flesh and the Devil, but they're a subject for one of the other forums here.
Tim Lucas - June 4, 2008 03:36 PM (GMT)
My late friend Bill Kelley once interviewed Mel Ferrer when he was in the Miami area to promote something he had done, and Bill had the courage to tell Ferrer how much he enjoyed his work in Italian movies, especially NIGHTMARE CITY. He then had the further courage to say, "There's one question I've always wanted to ask you about those movies."
"Yes?" Ferrer invited.
"Do you actually OWN that General's uniform? I mean, it seems like you're wearing it in all of them."
Ferrer, to his credit, laughed out loud. "But, you know," Bill later told me, "he never answered the question!"
Bill's interest in Umberto Lenzi became a recurring point of humor through the rest of the interview, and Ferrer sent Bill away with some funny farewell comment about Lenzi, but alas, for the life of me, I can't remember now what it was.
"Yes?" Ferrer invited.
"Do you actually OWN that General's uniform? I mean, it seems like you're wearing it in all of them."
Ferrer, to his credit, laughed out loud. "But, you know," Bill later told me, "he never answered the question!"
Bill's interest in Umberto Lenzi became a recurring point of humor through the rest of the interview, and Ferrer sent Bill away with some funny farewell comment about Lenzi, but alas, for the life of me, I can't remember now what it was.